The Bodyguard
by I-might-BE-slightly-INSANE
Summary: It all began on the day her father died. She was swept up by the mysterious bodyguard and brought to the hidden facility... (Yorusoi)
1. Chapter 1

**Soooo. This is something I've had written for awhile and I'm in the middle of writing chapter 3 but it takes me forever to Finnish a chapter so I hoped that uploading the 1st chapter might enthuse me to write more. Just forewarning I've not had this beta'ed but if anyone is willing to beta just send me a massage:) hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

BANG!

BANG!

Blood splattered across my face.

Client and liutenant dead.

Single bullet wound to the head.

2 possible assailants.

New priority client's daughter.

My thoughts raced. Instinctively I reached for the gun on my waist a simple WM-792 hand gun designed by my now deceased client. My eyes darted across the now panicking crowd of foreign dignitaries looking for the clients daughter. Women were screaming, men looked agitated and on edge their bodyguards were doing as I was and looking for their clients.

Where was she? Surely after seeing her father killed in front of her she would be frozen in shock. I know I had been when I had first seen someone killed, it was worse yet when I first killed someone myself. Giving up on my own eyes and cursing my short stature I tapped the earpiece that kept me in radio contact with the rest of my team.

"Captain speaking, does anyone have visual on the the clients daughter?"

Waiting for a reply I entered the terrified crowd still looking for the tell-tale flash of purple. I kept vigilant but saw no sign of her. The radio stayed eerily silent. I repeated my question hoping that it was only a case of no one hearing me over the commotion.

"Captain speaking, does anyone have visual on the the clients daughter?"

No static. No reply. Silence.

Well fuck, this had well and truly gone tits up. Client dead, lutenient dead, client's daughter missing and no contact with the rest of the team. I was on my own. Shit!

The girl was obviously not in the conference room any longer. My next port-of-call was the bar that was down the hall. The client's daughter was known to skip out on her father's presentations in favour of ... Well anything but listening to her old man talk about how his weapons could 'save the world.'

When I entered the bar I took notice of how the patrons were acting as normal, indicating that each of the conference rooms were sound-proofed to prevent interference from other lectures that may be happening at the same time. I hoped beyond hope that the girl was in here when the gunshots went off, at least then I wouldn't have to explain that the gunshots she heard was her father being killed, and just maybe she wouldn't be haunted by the echoes in her dreams.

Suddenly I caught movement in the corner of my eye. Coming from the direction of the toilets came a woman. She was of average height ( and therefore towered over me) and slim and her natural olive skin made many women jealous. However her most abnormal features were her cat-like yellow eyes and the vibrant purple hair that she swears blind is not dyed. This was her, Yoruichi Shihōin, only child of Hiraku Shihōin the worlds leading weapons tycoon.

I needed to keep her calm. The girl had just lost her father and didn't even know it yet. How the hell was I going to do this, I couldn't just walk up to her and say  
"hello your father had just had a bullet put through his head, but don't worry and keep calm I'll make sure it doesn't happen to you. Now if you could just follow me please" yes, because that would go down well.

My inner rant was cut short when I realised that the girl (I couldn't really call her that she was 2 years older than me) was looking my way, her skin had gone pale ( well as pale as it could go with that wonderful tan) and had taken on a green tint. It was then I remembered the sticky red liquid that had splattered across my face and the gun I had instinctively drawn from my waist. No doubt her mind was jumping to the worst of conclusions, I couldn't blame her though, I was obvious that I wasn't here for a drink.

I began to approach her slowly and in a calm manner, I also relaxed the grip I had on my gun to indicate that I had no intentions to cause harm ( I would have holstered, but I knew for a fact that the assailants were still out there). Once I had reached her I placed my hand on her arm and spoke quietly.

" I need you to stay calm and follow me."

She gave a small and terrified nod in acknowledgement. I kept my hand on her arm and lead her out of the bar. Some of the men gave us appreciative glances while others openly leered at us, not taking notice of the the blood on my face or the gun in my hand.

Once we entered the hallway I looked towards the conference room where this had started. People were still panicking and aimlessly milling around, some had their phones and were calling the police while others called their family's and explained the events in a multitude of different languages.

Seeing no immediate threat I turned my head and looked towards the exit of the conference centre. The view through the glass doors showed a world that was ignorant to the events that had taken place mere minutes ago. That would change soon, as we approached the door I could already hear the faint echoes of police sirens through the streets, they would be here in soon. We had to be gone by then.

I frantically looked around for the car. Why the hell was it not in the row closest to the building?! Every semi-decent agent knew to park the 'getaway' car as close to the building as possible in case there was a need for it. So where was the fucking car? Because there is a definite need for it right now!

I could feel Yoruichi begin to shake under my hand. She wasn't stupid, she was beginning to piece it together, the blood, me having my weapon drawn, not being with her father. She was going to break down at any moment. I thought back to this morning trying to think where I had parked the bloody car. It was then i realised that I had let the rookie I was training park the damn car. What an inopportune time to impart knowledge.

The sirens were louder now. We needed out of here! I looked to my left and saw a 4x4 parked in one of the disabled bays. I felt terrible for having to do this but it was necessary. Calling upon experience from my delinquent days, I released my grip on Yoruichi and smashed the drivers side window and unlocked the car from the inside.

I ushered Yoruichi into the passenger seat and sat myself behind the wheel. from my pocket I produced a small circular device, I held it on to the ignition for 10 seconds before it began to beep, I then proceeded to turn the device clockwise as you would a key. Miraculously the engine started, an involuntary sigh of relief escaped my lips. I'd have to remember to thank squad 12 when I got back to headquarters.

As fast as I could I tore out of the parking space, out of the car park and into the streets of the city.

"What happened?"

I actually winced at those two words. How do you tell someone their father had been murdered because you failed to do your job correctly, you don't know why he was murdered and that she can't go home because she's a likely target too. So yeah I winced.

"Your father is dead."

The tears she had been holding onto began to slowly slide down her face and her shoulders began to shake.

"Why?" Her voice quivered. She really knew how to ask the difficult questions.

"I don't know." I replied honestly. She didn't want someone to sugar coat this, she needed the facts so she could have some closure.

The silence that followed my reply was only broken by the quiet sound of stifled sobs from the passenger seat. This continued we reached the outskirts of the city.

"Did he suffer?" A horse and broken voice asked.

"No, it was quick." Thank God. My reply seemed to calm her down a bit. Her breathing evened slightly and her shoulders slowly stopped shaking. Her eyes however continued to leak a steady river of tears.

"What now?" She asked slightly louder than before.

"Now? Well now I take you to the super secret Headquarters of the agency I work for, which is based in a hidden valley in the mountains." I said in an even voice.

Despite the wet, red and puffy eyes she turned to look at me, disbelief displayed clearly on her face.

"What?" I asked confused. "I was being serious."

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**any feedback is appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well I'm back with another chapter! AndI've decided that I'm going to try and upload at least once a month that way I have ample time to get chapter written.**

**I've got to take the time to thank the absolutely wonderful RainySunnyEnding without whom this chapter would have been a quagmire of incorrect punctuation and misspelled words (more so than it may still be!). So I thank you once against for being the most fantastic friend and beta a gal could ask for! (I just pray my attempt at punctuation doesn't give you nightmares). I've also got to thank IThinkILeftMyCoatOutside who came up with the line ****_"Her eyes were a steely grey, the shadow of a deep, troubled past lingering within them. "_**** this helped me come up with a couple of ideas for the story which I think need to be investigated further!**

**Anyway without further adieu the next instalment of The Bodyguard!**

**(Oh and FYI I don't own Bleach)**

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Chapter 2  
Yoruichi POV

The steady thrum of the car's engine slowly lulled me to sleep. My dreams were filled images of my father's eyes, at the same time they weren't my father's eyes, not full of life and with that twinkle of amusement they always held. Instead they were glassy and focused on nothing, unseeing. And they would never see again. No more would they twinkle with amusement nor would they well with unshed tears on the anniversary of my mother's death.

I'm alone now; both my parents are dead, I have no siblings and the closest thing I have to a friend is the bodyguard that my father hired 4 months ago to protect him while he promoted his new range of anti-aircraft weapons. We hadn't spoken until she had approached me covered in what I assumed was my father's blood, but for the past 4 months she had been present and providing protection for my father and me, and I had never felt more safe.

I didn't know much about her. She was obviously important if the others referring to her as captain was anything to go by. She was about 4 inches shorter than I was, her raven hair was cut short apart from the two braids that reached her lower back. They were wrapped in white bandages and two golden rings adorned the end of the braids. She seemed to be of Chinese descent, her skin was fair regardless how long she worked in the sun. Her eyes were a steely grey, the shadow of a deep, troubled past lingering within them.

I was woken from my restless sleep by a tentative hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes slowly expecting it still to be bright out. However (and much to my surprise) the moon could be seen hanging alone in the sky. I turned to face the captain, ignoring the stiffness in my neck caused by the draught from the smashed window.

"How much longer will it take to get there?" I enquired wondering why she had woken me up.

"We're almost there."

I scrunched my brow in confusion. I couldn't see any buildings near. In fact we were surrounded by towering mountains covered in leafy green flora. We seemed to be traveling directly through a beautiful mountain range along twisting and winding roads. I looked at the track underneath the car only to see that there was no track, but instead a well maintained road that allowed the car to glide smoothly to its destination. Ignoring this irregularity I turned back to the captain.

"I can't -" I cut myself short when the car entered a tunnel that was well lit by electric lights.

"We'll be there in a minute, I need you to keep quiet when we get there and do as you are asked." She looked directly at me to convey her seriousness. " I will have to go and report to my superiors about what happened. While I'm there I'll leave you with a friend of mine."

I nodded. My breathing became more shallow and my heart rate began to race I was terrified. What if her friend wasn't friendly? What if I got lost? What if she never came back to me after her meeting? What if-?

"Calm down." She spoke firmly but quietly. "I'll meet up with you after the meeting to tell you what's happening with your father's case. Don't worry, I guarantee you will get along with Rangiku. "A secretive smile spread across her face. I was momentarily stunned at the sight. that was the first time I had seen her smile. It was breath-taking. Maybe I saw her as a little more than a friend...

The car slowed to a stop when we reached a guarded barrier at the end. A huge mountain of a man walked up to the smashed driver's side window, when he glanced in his beady eyes widened at the sight of the 'captain'.

"Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain." What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Kakushitsuijaku." The guard smiled at her response. Kakushitsuijaku? That's Japanese. This exchange must be some sort of code word to confirm identity, I'll have to remember to ask Someone about it later.

"Captain Soifon, you're not expected back for another few weeks?" Soifon, so that was her name.

"I know, something went wrong. I need you to tell the captain commander that I need to speak to him and the other captains as soon as possible." Her voice was no longer the calm and soothing tone that I had come to get used to. It had become cold and commanding, even her body language had changed to something you would have to think twice about before crossing.

The man suddenly snapped to attention and placed his right arm across his chest at a forty-five degree angle and bent slightly at the waist in some form of bow.

"Of course captain, you may proceed to the barrier when you are ready." As he finished speaking a loud mechanical clanking sound started up and the heavy steel doors that were in front of us began to slide heavily apart. I sat forward in my seat in anticipation, craning my neck to try and get a closer look. I wanted to know just how accurate the films were when it came to secret government organisations.

When the doors had finally opened fully, I was stunned. This was nothing like what years of watching spy movies had prepared me for. There was no giant warehouse stationed inside of a mountain, there was no row upon row of ominous crates, instead spread out before me was a town, surrounded by the leafy mountains on all sides. The settlement was made up entirely of generic white buildings which were in-turn surrounded by 8 foot high white washed walls that granted privacy to the occupants of the building. The overuse of white made the place seem very clinical at times but also seemed to promise the chance of starting anew. In what seemed to be the centre of the town was a tall tower which seemed to be a place of importance as it was the biggest of all the buildings there.

As we drove through the facility people were traveling on foot. All of them seemed to be dressed in similar outfits (most likely a uniform). Everyone wore combat trousers with either trainers or sensible shoes; some people were wearing lab coats while others wore white polo-shirts that were ideal for training in. Everyone's shirts were inscribed with a number over the right breast just above their names.

When the car came to a stop we were parked just outside a large two story building, which, according to the plaque next to the door, was the 10th squad barracks. I followed Soifon's example when she stopped the engine and got out of the car (I briefly wondered if the disabled person we stole the car from would ever get the car back) and dutifully followed her into the building.

When I saw the desk place in the middle of the business like lobby I expected Soifon to make an enquiry about why we were her, instead she strode straight by the woman sat behind the desk and deeper into the barracks. As we strode through the warren-like halls I took note of the signs on the wooden doors we passed. Each said things like cold cases, active investigations, evidence locker and archives; it seemed this building was some form of investigation centre. Why would we be in an investigation centre? I thought we were going to find 'Rangiku'.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"We are about to save Rangiku from the trouble she is undoubtedly in." She was smirking; this was obviously a regular occurrence.

Soifon came to a stop outside of a door labelled "Lieutenant: Rangiku Masumoto'. So this friend that was in regular trouble was a lieutenant, I would have thought that something like that would prevent someone from being a lieutenant. Beyond the door were raised voices. Soifon, forgoing knocking, threw the door wide on its hinges and strode in practically leaking authority.

Following meekly after her I took a moment to see who was in the room. Stood behind a desk littered with lose papers and what appeared to be empty bottles of alcohol was a woman. She had long and lustrous strawberry blonde hair and piercing blue eyes which seemed to look right through me. She wore what seemed to be standard uniform with some personal twists. The buttons on her immaculate white polo were undone, revealing a very generous cleavage that would catch the attention of any straight man; over her shoulders there was a fine pink silk scarf that seemed to accentuate her hair colour. Around her arm was a partial sleeve of black cloth, stitched on to it was the image of a white daffodil with the word lieutenant. This seemed to be the 'Rangiku' we were looking for.

Across from her on the other side of the desk was a young man of about 17. His abnormal white hair stood messily on his head, his teal eyes seemed to emit a commanding aura and his skin was pale and unblemished. His whole appearance screamed cold and wintery. Over his white polo shirt he wore a black haori; engraved on the back was a white diamond with the number ten placed in the centre. The Haori was obviously some depiction of rank like Rangiku's lieutenant armband; I just wasn't sure what rank.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Captain! This kid was a captain! Now that is just not believable; he doesn't even look old enough to drive! I thought that Soifon was young for a Captain! Maybe he's some kind of super soldier or prodigy. There has to be some kind of reasonable explanation.

"Captain Soifon, you're back early. How can I help you?" Well he seemed to be well-mannered and intelligent at least.

"We are needed for a captains' meeting now; I was hoping that Rangiku would look after my charge and explain the workings of the Gotei 13 while we are away." Gotei 13? I guess I'll find out soon.

Hitsugaya stood quietly in contemplation before turning to address Rangiku on the other side of the desk." You may do this job for captain Soifon, but I expect you to complete the paperwork as soon as Soifon comes to collect her charge."

Rangiku brought her hand up to her forehead in an over enthusiastic salute. "Yes sir, captain sir." It was blatant that she had no intention of doing her work.

Soifon turned to face me. Her body language relaxed into something a little warmer, not the facade of cold command she had been wearing since we encountered the gate guard. "You stay here with Rangiku; she'll answer any questions you have."

The corners of her mouth turned upwards. "I'll come and collect you when I'm finished with the meeting." She nodded to Rangiku and followed Hitsugaya out of the door.

An awkward silence settled over the room as I turned to Rangiku. She was looking at me expectantly waiting for me to say something.

"Um...hi." I blushed at the awkwardness of it.

"Hello. I'm Rangiku Masumoto the beautiful, buxom lieutenant of squad ten!" I couldn't help but laugh at her total lack of modesty. With the awkwardness broken I replied.

"I'm Yoruichi Shihōin," I smiled and scratched the back of my head. "And I have more than a few questions."

"Well ask away!" Was she always this smiley? Rangiku began to rummage through her draws, after a moment, she produced two bottles of beer and a novelty bottle opener. After popping them open she offered one to me. "Do you want one?"

I nodded and accepted the bottle realising that I hadn't had anything to drink since before... No don't think about it.

My face must have shown the deviation of thoughts as Rangiku's eyes changed from smiley to concerned but she did not pry for which I was thankful. Ignoring the moment I moved on to my first question.

"So where are we?"

She paused a moment. "Well, while I can't divulge our exact location, I can tell you that we are in the Seretei, which is the main headquarters of the Gotei 13."

My next question was obvious. "What's the Gotei 13?"

She laughed like I had said something funny. "What isn't it?"

"That's why I'm asking!" I bit back. I was really getting fed up of not knowing anything that was happening to me.

Hearing my frustration she quickly sobered and looked straight at me.

"Well, to start with, the Gotei 13 is an international organisation made up of 13 different squads." Finally! I was getting somewhere! "Each squad is headed by a captain and lieutenant chosen by central 46 because of their leadership skills and experience with the squad's specialisation. Nothing else matters when choosing the captains, this is why some are young like my captain or exceptionally old like the captain commander."

That helped. I began to wonder how good Soifon and Hitsugaya actually were to be captains at that age. I finished the beer I had been given while I mulled it over. Rangiku replaced it without asking, I suppose the alcohol would help me relax in these strange surroundings.

"You said the squads had specialisations, what kind of specialisations?" What did Soifon actually do?

"Well to list them: Squad 1 deal with the general control of the divisions and generally contains people with unusual specialisations; Squad 2 deal with assassination mainly, and are well versed in many forms of armed and unarmed combat as well as knowledge on poisons and antidotes. Squad 4 handles medicine and are responsible for many of the recent developments on modern medicine. Squad 9 monitor all news and media in the world looking out for any abnormalities that could help the other squads, they also write the local paper for the Seretei. My Squad deal with investigations that the authorities can't solve or cannot be released as public knowledge, and Squad 11 are demolition experts. I'd watch out for them if I were you they tend to be a bit on the crazy side."

Wow they were definitely diverse. My head was starting to get fuzzy as the alcohol kept flowing.

"How is this place such a well-kept secret? Surely you all have families; with an organisation this big I'd be surprised if someone hadn't blabbed."

"We're all dead." She spoke with the most serious tone...

...only to burst out laughing at my horrified face and attempt at a stuttered response. What the hell was that supposed to mean! Their all dead; what are they? ghosts?! It took a few moments for Rangiku to collect herself and elaborate on her answer.

"Dead is the term we use for ourselves. None of us have families in the outside world; we're all chosen for that reason, because to everyone else we are invisible." My heart wrenched at this. I was now like them. I had no-one else, and apart from the business man that knew me as the 'Shihōin heiress' no-one knew of my existence.

"How are people chosen? They obviously don't come of their own accord."

"I suppose Squad 3 is responsible for recruitment, they monitor all sorts of lists and select those who need a second chance at life or just need a home and someone to look after them. Most of our recruits are either orphans or ex-criminals."

"Which were you?" Wow, sensitive Yoruichi. Stupid alcohol! I looked at her closely after berating myself for my poor choice of words, she didn't seem at all offended, and in fact a twinkle of nostalgia entered her eye.

"I was an orphan, my parents died when I was very young; I spent about three years going from orphanage to orphanage never really staying anywhere long. On the way I met Gin; who seemed to be in the exact same position as I was; he and I quickly became close friends and partners in crime. We spent all our free time pranking the matrons, and sneaking out at night. Until one day a man in a suit came and told us that we were going to go under 'government adoption'. Seeing as we weren't going to get any better offers, we agreed to it. The men just packed our bags and brought us here for training. We've been here ever since."

She physically shook her head to knock herself from her memories.

"Anything else you want to know?" I shook my head violently, even though I wanted desperately to know more about the mysterious Captain Soifon; not even the copious amount of alcohol I had consumed was enough to loosen my lips enough to ask the questions.

"In that case," she spoke with a smile. "In order to welcome you to the Seretei I suggest we throw a party! However as it is so late it shall be just you, me and all the alcohol I have hidden from the captain!" She cracked open two fresh bottles of beer and handed one to me. "To new starts!"

"To new starts," I echoed. Yes, new starts; it was then I resolved myself to do what I could to bring my father's murderer to justice, even if it meant abandoning my title as heiress to the most wealthy weapons company in the world and taking up the mantle of a nameless Gotei 13 operative simply seeking justice.

With my resolve set I turned to my current task of drinking myself to oblivion so I would not be haunted by my father's eyes as I slept.

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**Just leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait! Things have happened in real life that have distracted me **** you know exams and such. Anyway here's chapter three, I didn't want to update this until I had written chapter 4 but I don't see that happening anytime soon, so I'm afraid you guys are going to have to wait at least until I finish my exams for the next chapter. Sorry!**

**In other news I now have a functioning tumblr blog for those who wish to follow. no doubt there will be some updates on my story on there**** I'm also kind of looking for someone who will help me plan the plot for this I've got so far but now I've kinda reached a dead end and need some help! So if you're interested just send me a PM **

**Anyway on with the story… **

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Chapter 3

Soifon's POV

"You shouldn't get too attached." Toshiro spoke as it echoed down the empty corridor.

My brow furrowed. "Attached? To what?"

Toshiro rolled his eyes in exasperation. "To the girl! Yoruichi!" I growled. Why can't people leave her alone for a while! She lost her father less than 24 hours ago.

"I'm not attached! What the hell would make you say that?" Toshiro stopped walking and looked me directly in the eye.

"Do you know what the troops call you behind your back?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "No? They call you the ice queen because ever since you became a captain you barely show a shred of emotion. But back there in Rangiku's office was no ice queen! I saw those small smiles!"

"Of course i was smiling at her she needed reassurance! She lost her father this morning and now she is somewhere strange with only me to guide her! I couldn't really be the 'ice queen' as the troops so aptly put it because she would probably run away!"

"What about having her stay in your quarters? You know that there are specific places for witnesses to stay." I broke the eye contact and began walking away.

"She has no-one left attaching her to the real world." I could almost hear Toushiro s eyes widening.

"You know recruitment is Squad 3's job! What on earth are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that Squad 3 is terrible for recruiting members for my division and that Yoruichi will be an excellent candidate for my lieutenant once she is fully trained."Toushiro seems stunned at my logic.

"You just can't do that! We're organised into specialised Squads for a reason!" His voice raised in frustration.

As we reach the first Squad Barracks I turn to him and reply.

"I think that the head captain would prefer for me to train a new lieutenant, to my standards than have me hospitalise half of my seated officers trying to find the strongest to take up the badge." Before he has the opportunity to reply I turn to the grand heavy oak doors, push them aside and make my way to the captain's assembly hall.

Already assembled are the other 11 captains. They are sat around a long table with the head captain at the End. Due to the militarised fashion the Seretei works to, we have to sit in a chronological order according to squad numbers, with even squads on one side of the table and odd numbered squads on the other.

I quietly approached the seat that was designated for the captain of squad 2 while Toshiro took his seat further down the table. With the arrival of Toshiro and I the chatter that filled the hall started to die down. At the head of the table head captain Yamamoto stood to address us, while he spoke I took the time to look at my fellow captains who I had not seen for months.

Sat directly across from me was the captain of squad 3 Gin Ichimaru, his silver hear flopped messily in front of his indefinitely closed eyes, this man always wore an almost snake like smile in an attempt to make himself seem more approachable. His white haori hung baggily off of his stick thin frame. I've never really spoken to Gin due to the unsettling aura of mistrust he seemed to emit.

Sat next to me was Retsu Unohana, captain of squad 4 and the only other female captain. She wore her lush raven hair in a plait that ran down the front of her chest. Her facial expression stemmed to always be calm and serene however this was misleading, as I knew from personal experience that she could be firm and intimidating with patients that wouldn't follow the doctors' orders.

When I glance towards the seat of what should have been the captain of squad 5, I was disappointed to still see it empty. I would have thought that they would have filled it in the months I had been away. Previously the seat had belonged to a man by the name of Souske Aizen; however he had been discovered selling secrets of the Seretei to various terrorist organisations in a quest to gain power. After a massive confrontation between him and the rest of the captains he fled, and as far as I am aware is still a fugitive.

The captain of squad 6, Byakuya Kuchki, was sat with a noble air about him. His black hair adorned with white kenseikan flowed elegantly down his back, draped round his neck was a regal silk scarf, which, over the years had become synonymous with the 6th squad captain. Byakuya was known to be uncaring to anything but his work, and would, if ordered attack his own family.

Sajin Komamura, captain of squad seven was an unknown entity. No-one knew what he looked like due to the wooden helmet he wore to cover his face. Physically his presence was intimidating as he towered over all but one of the captains. the only other captain to tower over him was Zaraki Kenpachi of the 11 division. the 11th squad being the demolition squad had the ideal captain, Kenpachi loved destruction and was not afraid to get into the thick of things, as demonstrated by the numerous scars that were littered over his bare chest.

I looked towards to the captain of squad 9 Kaname Tōsen. Kaname had long vibrant purple hair tied back into a neat pony tail, around his neck he donned an orange scarf which contrasted brilliantly with his dark skin. Tōsen could only be described as a peaceful soul as he always tried to avoid confrontation and constantly preached the message of peace. Tōsen was also the most idolised captain of us all with new recruits, as they all admired him for being a captain even-though he was entirely blind.

Slumped across the table across from Tōsen was an undoubtedly inebriated Shunsui Kyōraku. Although he was one of the longest serving captains of the Seretei he was perpetually drinking sake and also took the title for laziest captain. It was difficult to overlook Shunsui due the flowery pink woman's kimono he wore over his shoulder and the straw skaat he wore on the top of his head. Shunsui's closest friend and captain of Squad 13, Kushiro Unitika, was his complete antithesis of Shunsui. Kushiro was dedicated to his work and was the complete gentleman. He was tall and slim with a rather emaciated appearance due to the coughing sickness that has haunted his health since before he ever became a captain, his long silver hair that would make many jealous was worn down so that it draped over his shoulders which contrasted widely with his green eyes and black eyebrows.

The final captain sat at the table was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Mayuri was captain of squad 12 otherwise known as R&D, who i had yet to thank for my handy carjacking device. No-one really knew what Mayuri looked like as he always obscured his face with black and white face-paint which gave him skeletal appearance and the strange headwear he seemed to prefer. Regardless of this none could deny that he was a sadistic Genius a prime example of his work would be his Lieutenant who he had crafted himself, a robot capable of human thought and emotion that he operated on regularly without the use of anaesthetics.

As i turned my attention back to the head captain i saw that he too had remained the same since i had last been here. He was still the tall and intimidating old guy i remembered. The captain was sat with his heavyset cane under his hands and his haori draped over his shoulders. His bald head still had the same arrangement of criss-crossed scars over and his beard was still long enough to reach his waist. Under his hands the long bulky cane that he used to call order back to the meetings that were held.

As i came out of my descriptive daze i realised that the head captain had just addressed me directly and that everyone was looking at me expectantly. Embarrassingly it took me a few moments to realise that they were waiting on a verbal report of my mission. Clearing my throat in an attempt to draw them away from my flushed cheeks i began my report.

"As most of you are aware 3 months ago i was hired personally by Hiraku Shihōin to act as bodyguard to him and his daughter as they toured numerous conference venues so that he could give presentations on his new line of weaponry." i glanced about, everyone was listening intently. "Also assigned with me on this mission were my lieutenant and my two best guardian teams. The first month of our mission went smoothly miscounting minor hiccups where the client's daughter, Yoruichi, would slip out of her father's talks to find the nearest bar. Our defensive strategies and protocols were effective and no forewarning or suspicious activity was detected before the unfortunate events that took place yesterday." after giving them the basics of the early part of the mission i launched into a more detailed description of the day previous.

"At 0700 hours the client woke and the night shift handed over to the day shift, I received the nocturnal report which had been no different to the previous nights, there was no abnormal activity surrounding the client and no strange behaviour from the people surrounding him to investigate." I inhaled deeply.

"Later at 1000 hours we preceded to the conference venue in an armour plated vehicle driven by the newest member of Guardian Team 1. Before allowing the client and his daughter to exit the vehicle we performed a compulsory sweep of the grounds to check for any threats or dangers. When the area was confirmed clear the Guardian team set out a protective perimeter to scout for perspective threats, while myself and lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda escorted the client and his daughter to the venue."

I took a moment to look at the other captains, some seemed to be accepting what I was saying while others seemed to be trying to find fault with my plans so that I could be the one to blame for the death of Yoruichi's father.

"Preparation for my clients address occurred smoothly and without fault, I never left the man's side nor was there any suspicious behaviour reported to me through the radio contact I maintained with my squad. All seemed well and no malicious intent seemed present. We were unaware of any problems until a mysterious assailant fired two rounds, one into the head of my client and another into the head of my lieutenant."

I looked down and clenched my fists. I don't handle failure well and within seconds I had failed twice. I had failed my duty to protect my client and I had failed in my duty as a commanding officer to ensure that I did all I could to protect my troops. I took a moment to calm down.

"Realising that there was not hope for the client, I immediately set out to ensure the safety of his daughter, I attempted to contact the rest of my team for a visual on her but only received radio silence in reply. I took this to mean that either the radios had been intercepted or that the rest of my men had also been killed. At the present time I have no answer as to which of these is true."

"Your men are dead then." Mayuri interrupted. "There is no technology advanced enough to block the radios designed by squad 12." I gritted my teeth and restrained myself from punching his lights out.

"Can you guarantee that? Have you suddenly transcended and become and omnipresent technology God? Can you say with absolute certainty that no one in the entire world has developed something to intercept your radios!?" He became quiet and avoided eye contact with me. "No? Well then you can keep quiet and wait until the end of my report like everybody else!" Deep breath Soifon, the last thing you need is to be beating up the other captains.

"Unable to gain a visual on her, I assumed that she had left the room and headed to the closest bar. I preceded, weapon drawn, to the conference centres self-maintained bar. Upon entering I realised that the walls had been sound proofed as no-one inside had heard the gunshots. When I had found her I realised that I had been covered in the client's blood. In an attempt to keep her calm I asked her to quietly follow me outside of the building without drawing too much attention to ourselves. Once outside I tried to locate the getaway car only to realise the rookie who had driven us here had parked away from the building and not where it was accessible. At this point the police had been contacted and the sirens were echoing off of the surrounding buildings, making a split decision I broke in to the nearest car, and used a prototype gadget I had received from the 12th before I left for the mission. From there we drove straight here without stops." Done. Now for the inevitable questioning.

"Where is the Girl now?" the soft caring words coming from captain Unohana.

"I left her with lieutenant Matsumoto so that she may learn about where she is and what we do." I clenched my jaw ready to counter argue the disputes that were about to come my way.

"Captain Soifon you are aware that in doing that you have broken several rules of the Seretei. You know that as a witness/client she is to stay at the barracks on the edge of the compound designated to such people, and that, as someone who has a life outside of the compound she is not to know the inner workings of the Seretei lest she spill the secrets of its inner workings." Called the calculated words of Byakuya Kuchki. Alas now to unveil my scheme.

"Yes, as a witness she should not know the workings. However as a potential squad 2 candidate she will need a basic idea as to how the organisation works, and yes, I do know that she does have a life outside but since the death of her father she has no-one to spend it with, she has no friends and her mother died when she was very young. And as her father has just been assassinated I would assume that it would not take much to convince the media that she had also been killed, would it Tōsen?" I looked over to the blind captain.

"No it wouldn't." He answered. "You are aware that by doing this you are taking away the girls chance to have a normal life?"

"Why would she want to be normal when she could be happy?" The rhetorical question was initially met with silence, but after a moment all the captains began to chatter and argue about the radical decision I had made.

After a minute the head-captain slammed the intimidating heavyset cane in his hand on the floor, the other captains stilled and quieted. "I approve of this decision provided that captain Ichimaru runs the standard background checks on Yoruichi Shihōin and that she is deemed acceptable." Gin nodded in acceptance.

I sighed in relief that had gone better than I had planned.

"Yare, yare, all well and good the girl can stay. What about our mysterious assailants? They still might be after her." captain Kyōraku drunkenly drawled, with inebriated blush across his face.

"We find them a blow them up!" Kenpachi yelled angrily. I seemed that the eye of attention was off of me now.

"However much you will enjoy that Kenpachi we still don't know who they are. I suggest that we mount and investigation into why someone would want Hiraku Shihōin dead, while keeping Yoruichi under surveillance." Jushiro Ukitake, once again the voice of reason. Silent agreement seemed to radiate from all sane and reasonable captains, while Zaraki seemed to be disappointed with the fact he would be unable to blow anything up.

Once again the head-captain spoke "As it seems that we are all in agreement, I charge squad 2, in particular captain Soifon, with the surveillance and training of Yoruichi Shihōin as well as the investigation into the assassination of Hiraku Shihōin. Meeting adjourned."

The result was expected and predictable. Squad 2 was the obvious choice for training a potential squad 2 candidate, and squad 2 was in charge of the protection of the Shihōin family therefore prime candidates to investigate the assassination. If this was so blatant and obvious, why did I suddenly feel nervous?

* * *

wooo! I've now written more than 5000 words! cyber cookies for everyone!


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